Ball State's football team ended its 2011 season with a 6-6 overall record and 4-4 mark in the Mid-American Conference.

The Cardinals tallied their sixth victory of the seaon at Eastern Michigan to become bowl eligible for the first time since the 2008 season and in Ball State's first year under head coach Pete Lembo.

In 2011, Ball State won six games for the fourth time in 10 years and is 20-15 in its last 35 MAC games.

Ball State opened the season by playing its first two games in stadiums that host a National Football League team. The Cardinals posted a season opening 27-20 victory over Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts, and played its second game of the year vs. South Florida at James Raymond Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In addition, Ball State played at Oklahoma in a game the Sooners entered the contest ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today and No. 2 by The Associated Press. It marked the highest ranked opponent a Ball State football team has ever played.

The Cardinals posted a 28-25 victory over Buffalo in its MAC opener and in its first game at Scheumann Stadium under Lembo. Lembo led the Cardinals to a 3-1 start, which was the best start to a season for Ball State since the 1995 campaign.

Ball State also posted league wins at MAC East Division Champion Ohio, and at home over Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Against CMU, the Cardinals fell behind 17-0 and 20-3 to the Chippewas before rallying to a 31-27 victory. The come-from-behind win tied for the fourth best comeback in program history.